28 February 2013

Thank you to everyone who entered the Gretchen McNeil 3:59 Cover Reveal Contests!!

Here is all of our winners, in one handy-dandy convenient spot! All winners have been e-mailed, and when accessible, tweeted! Don’t forget you only have 48 hours to respond to the e-mail with the needed info to claim your prize.

Winner of the 3:59 T-Shirt for the Teaser Giveaway:

Keeley M.

Winner of the Bonus Quiz Prize Pack:

Lil Berry

The Commenters That Won a Book Mark: These winners have already been contacted, and their prizes already mailed

- Sarah R. - Megan A. - Sana S. Winners of an Unbound, Autographed Chapter of 3:59Since the page got 5,000 views this prize was awarded to the first 10 commenters. We already have your mailing information and you’re additional prize will be on it’s way soon!

A teenage witch juggles popularity and romance while keeping her powers a secret in this spellbinding debut.Almost-sixteen-year-old Brooklyn feels invisible, but she desperately wants to be pretty, to be popular, to be adored by a cute guy. Luckily for her, she’s a witch about to come of age—so she’s only a few spells away from making it all happen. On her milestone birthday, Brooklyn’s conservative parents finally unbind her powers, which include the ability to magically match couples with a love spell. Brooklyn uses her special skills to get a makeover, new friends, and the attention of her crush, Asher. But the popular clique Brooklyn wants to infiltrate puts her in the same precarious position as her Salem ancestors: If she’s found out, she could be vilified—and lose Asher in the process. Can she make the most of her magic, or will she be luckless and loveless? Be careful what you witch for

27 February 2013

Check out the cover of THE FIERY HEART (Bloodlines #4) By: Richelle Mead

Release Date: November 19th 2013

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . . But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever. Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

Everything changes for Arianna when she loses one of her best friends in an accident, suddenly everything that felt happy and safe, is no longer there, and she can't handle it.

It used to be Ben, Summer and Arianna, always together, and now it's just Ben and Arianna left, and she needs to escape.

After Summer's death she pushes Ben away, cutting of her connection with who she used to be, but she can't keep running forever, not when the past is always ready to catch her up, especially since it's more than just Summer's death that she's running from.

‘That’s the whole issue though,’ Arianna shouts, ‘so many people expected so much from me, by the time I was about thirteen my whole life had been mapped out, and I felt like if I changed even one thing, I’d be letting everyone down! I was drowning in expectations. After Summer died I just couldn’t do it anymore, but that Arianna, the one I used to be, she was so tied down by all of that, so I had to become someone new.’

‘And cut everyone out of your life? I know it’s not just me, you hardly talk to Alex anymore, you’re withdrawn around your parents, you don’t talk to my parents anymore, all of your friends were dropped, you don’t talk to Kate, and she says that Fletcher has been trying to contact you but you won’t talk to him either. I don’t understand it, you had a great life and sure I know things weren’t perfect, but you had a support system of friends and family, and you pushed them all away. What’s so horrible about the life you had planned?’

‘Nothing’s horrible about it,’

‘Then just explain to me what you’re doing? Why you’re acting like this prom queen type of girl.’

‘Maybe because I am the prom queen,’ she shrugs noncommittally, ‘I like who I am now, I have a big group of friends, I have money, I don’t have to worry about being labelled a nerd, I actually have a varied social life that consists of more than staying at home, or going to the arcade. I don’t have to care,’

‘About anything,’ he finishes for her, ‘that’s the biggest problem, you used to care about things and people, but now you don’t, or you pretend you don’t.’

‘I didn’t come here to talk about myself, so if this is the way the nights going then I’ll leave now.’ She snaps back angrily.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hannah has had a keen interest in writing for a long time, starting out writing short stories when she was young. As she got older she started taking her writing more seriously, and writing longer pieces, but it wasn’t until taking part in and completing NaNoWriMo, that she decided to pursue her writing.

With one month to go until MOONEST hits the shelves, we want to make sure you are all ready for it. Be sure to add MOONSET to your TBR piles, and don’t forget to check out the giveaway below for $25.00 gift cards to iTunes and B&N!

Justin Daggett, his trouble-making sister, and their three orphan-witch friends have gotten themselves kicked out of high school. Again. Now they’ve ended up in Carrow Mills, New York, the town where their parents—members of the terrorist witch organization known as Moonset—began their evil experiments with the dark arts one generation ago. When the siblings are accused of unleashing black magic on the town, Justin fights to prove their innocence. But tracking down the true culprit leads him to a terrifying discovery about Moonset’s past . . . and its deadly future

Scott Tracey is a YA author who lived on a Greyhound for a month, wrote his illustrated autobiography at the age of six, and barely survived Catholic school (and definitely not for the reasons you might think).

He is the author of WITCH EYES, chosen as one of Amazon’s Best LGBT Books of 2011, as well as an ALA Popular Paperback in the Forbidden Romance category. The final book in the WITCH EYES trilogy, PHANTOM EYES, will be released in the fall of 2013.

He is also the author of MOONSET, a new series which will be released April 8, 2013, as well as a contributor to the SHADOWHUNTERS & DOWNWORLDERS anthology, edited by Cassandra Clare.

His career highlights include: accidentally tripping a panic alarm which led to nearly being shot by the police; attacked in a drive-thru window by a woman wielding a baked potato, and once moving cross country for a job only to quit on the second day.

His gifts can be used for good or evil, but rather than picking a side, he strives for BOTH (in alternating capacity) for his own amusement.

Kismet Knight knows exactly how to handle her clients, but when it comes to her love-life, she's on less steady ground. That was until she met master vampire Devereux, an 800-year-old hunk, who not only managed to convince the entirely rational shrink that vampires really do exist - he also persuaded her to start dating him.

Kismet's still having nightmares after being kidnapped by Lucifer, a psychotic vampire. From a therapeutic perspective she finds his split personalities fascinating - but she's constantly terrified. And Dev's become obsessed with finding Lucifer - before he comes after Kismet again.

Kismet Knight, a brainy Denver-based psychologist with a stalled career and a nonexistent love life, is about to have her world rocked. Not only does her newest patient, Midnight, long to become a vampire, but the teenager insists that a coven of the undead hangs out at a local goth club. The always-rational Kismet dismisses Midnight's claims as the delusions of an attention- starved girl—until bodies start turning up drained of blood and the hottest self-proclaimed vampire ever to walk the face of the earth enters her office.

What's real? What's not? As inexplicable events and romantic opportunities pile up, along with the corpses, Kismet finds herself in a whirlwind of passion, mystery, and danger. But this tough and funny heroine—who doesn't do damsel in distress—is about to turn the vampire-meets-girl convention on its head.

Lynda Hilburn writes paranormal fiction. More specifically, she writes vampire books. After a childhood filled with invisible friends, sightings of dead relatives and a fascination with the occult, turning to the paranormal was a no-brainer. In her other reality, she makes her living as a psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, professional psychic/tarot reader, university instructor and workshop presenter. Her series, Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist is being rewritten and will be republished by Quercus Books in the UK and Europe, and by Sterling Publishing/Silver Oak in North America. The UK version of the first book in the series, "The Vampire Shrink" will be published September, 2011. The North American version a few months later. Book #2 (tentatively titled "Blood Therapy"), which is a new book, will be published a year later, and book #3 (the book that used to be called "Dark Harvest") will follow a year later. She also has a short story in the anthology, "Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance," called "Blood Song." "Diary of a Narcissistic Bloodsucker" and "Undead in the City" are available through Amazon.com and Smashwords.

*Grab Your Current Read *Pick 2 Teaser Sentences from it (be sure to avoid spoilers!) *Post it to your blog with title & author so other TT participants can add it to their TBR list! *Then, when you visit other TT, leave a link to your TT in their comments.

“But the guy sitting at the table next to me who’d been imagining killing his wife and was now imagining seducing me wasn’t the problem. No, it was the guy sitting across from me, the man with his bright orange hunting cap pulled low over his eyes, the guy waiting for the right moment to rob the café… he was the one who worried me.”

THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND ... A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen-year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey's younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and the girls are found by their father, a stranger, and taken to re-enter the "normal" life of school, clothes and boys. Now, Carey must come to terms with the truth of why their mother spirited them away ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won't let her go ... a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn't spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

IF YOU FIND ME is, simply put, one of the most poignant and harrowing tales of grief and overcoming your past I have ever read. There is more strength and determination in Carey than there is in hundreds of other Young Adult protagonists combined. And what makes this story all the more heart wrenching is that, sadly in this world many elements of it are all to real in this world we live in.

IF YOU FIND ME is told in fifteen-year-old Carey’s voice, one that at first I wasn’t really sure I could handle reading for the entire book. Luckily it only took a few pages for me to fall into a rhythm with the thick southern, poorly educated drawl Carey has, and now that I look back I realize 100% this book would not have had the same impact if it had not been written like this.

It’s very important you are in her shoes, and Murdoch does a fantastic job of making you feel right at home in them. You will be curious with Carey, feel scared with her, experience the horrific things she spends so much time trying to hide and force out of her mind, along with her.

If I had one complaint with IF YOU FIND ME it was the overly typical-teenage-sister Carey gains when her father takes her out of the woods, and to her new home. Everything you think might happen and could go wrong with this new development, did. It was almost sitcom-ish at times, you always new what was going to happen or how one would react. While, I feel her character was necessary to the plot, it just felt like it was stitched in unevenly, if that makes sense.

IF YOU FIND ME is still going on my highly recommended list right away on Riffle and Goodreads, even if there was a tiny blip I didn’t love. The book overall had such an impact on me that it’s easy enough to gloss over the bumps.

25 February 2013

Have you heard? Lauren Oliver’s series DELIRUM is being turned into a TV show.

And we’re not just talking “the rights sold and now we sit and wait and hope something happens”, oh no no. We are talking – “Hey look who got cast”

There’s a good and a bad to being apart of the “book love” for a novel, that magical time before it’s made into a movie or TV show. Those days before Hollywood takes your book boyfriend and turns him into someone you don’t recognize. When the wrong person gets cast it’s like you’ve been punched in the stomach. Repeatedly. By the Hulk.

Now I try my best to give them actor a fair shake. In the case of Josh Hutcherson playing Peeta, I HATED the idea of it. Loathed it in fact. Had a hour long conversation over dinner about it with my girlfriends about how I never thought he could pull off the role. I was wrong. He may not have looked like MY Peeta, but he sure acted like him. In the end I think that’s what matters most.

But I have to admit I’m having a really hard time offering a fair shake to the actor who has been cast as Alex for the DELIRIUM TV Series.

Enter Darren Kagasoff. You might know him as the player-turned-worlds–best-daddy on TheSecret Life of the American Teenager. Sigh. Have you seen this show? I have. A lot. I got into it for awhile, the plot was ok and really I love Molly Ringwald, who played the mom.

But Darren…oh Darren..he has one tone – monotone. His acting is so “soap opera”. If you are unfamiliar with the show, here’s a break down. Darren plays the schools resident d-bag/player, Ricky. He knocks up Shaylene Woodly’s 16 year old character, at band camp of all places (bet that joke never got old on set…). You know Shaylene…she’s playing Tris in the Divergent movie (let’s not go there. I’m not real happy about that either…). They have the typical relationship. I love you, I hate you, let’s get married, let’s live together, let’s break up. You know typical….

The only thing that has me not totally giving up on this before the first episode hits my screen (because let’s face it, I have to watch it to see how badly/if he messes it up) is that he’s easy on the eyes. Even though, looking at him all I see is the poorly acted baby daddy from Secret Life. *bangs head into wall trying to knock memory loose*

I really hope it’s not as bad as I think it’s going to be….

The big question is – what do you think? Is he your Alex? And if not, who IS?

Welcome to My Indie Monday – a feature that started right here on Me, My Shelf and I that focuses on the wonderful Independent and Small House published authors!

Team member Yvette hated that we couldn’t review every Indie request we got, and thus MIM was born – a way to feature them still!!

This week we Welcome Ryann Kerekes

THIS OR THAT

I love This or That’s! They are so much fun, and I particularly like Ryann’s answers – they tell me her and I would be really good friends! *wink* What do you all think of them?

Driver or Passenger: DRIVER! And if passenger, just go ahead and change that to backseat driver. Chicken or Fish: Depends, probably chicken. Movie at Home or in Theater: Theatre with popcorn! Coffee or Tea: COFFEE always coffee! Writing at Home or Out and About?I do both! I'm more productive at a coffee shop though. Skiing or Tubing: Um, neither? Sports and me don't mix. Heels or Sneakers: I want to say heels, but the reality is probably sneakers. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson: Harry, baby! Fruit Loops or Raisin Bran: Raisin Bran, but I pick out the raisins. They put in too many! Horror or Comedy: Comedy. I'm a fraidy-cat!

THE BOOK

The CirquePages: 265 Release Date: February 25th 2013

A good girl trying to find herself. A troubled boy running from his past. The seductive allure of the cirque. One summer that will change them both forever …

Eighteen-year-old ballerina Ariel is determined to experience life outside the dance studio. She auditions for the cirque on a whim, and though ballet training didn’t prepare her for dodging knives, she refuses to flinch and wins the spot of target girl alongside Gabriel, the mysterious knife-thrower. There’s something unmistakably dangerous yet tempting about Gabriel’s crystal blue eyes and tattoos. She’s determined to solve the mystery of his past after learning he’s on the run from the law. Especially since the distraction is just what she needs to avoid admitting to her parents she was dismissed from her ballet contract. The more she learns about Gabriel, the scars on his body, the foster homes he grew up in, and his fascination with knives, she knows she should run the other way, but that boy’s like crack, oh so bad for you, yet addicting as hell. When he’s arrested and forced to deal with his past, she has to choose between putting her own life back together and dealing with her parents, or taking a chance on Gabriel, as no one else has. The Cirque is a contemporary new adult romance.

GIVEAWAY WANT AN eBook COPY? OF COURSE YOU DO – JUST LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW WITH YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL TO BE ENTERED!

THE AUTHOR

Ryann Kerekes writes young adult novels with a strong dose of romance. She lives in Minnesota with a super cute husband and two puppies, one of which may be part monkey. When not writing, she enjoys reading, hiking, laughing and day dreaming about kissing scenes. The Cirque, a contemporary, sexy YA is her debut novel. She also writes adult romance as Kendall Ryan.

“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep.” ~ Robert Frost *Evie’s family has been holding out on her … Big time. On an unexpected visit to her grandparents’ house in New Hampshire’s secluded North Woods, the sixteen-year-old literally runs into the truth of the long-hidden family secrets, and finds herself thrust without warning into the clandestine world of the Great North Pack—a wild and exhilarating world of rugged beauty, heart-pounding adventures, and long nights running under a sea of stars … but as she’s set to discover, a world also fraught with potential dangers lurking in the shadows.

I have mixed feelings about SILVER-WHITE. On the one hand, there’s an intriguing backstory that spans centuries and a captivating situation that keeps Evie on her toes. On the other hand, the writing felt slightly underdeveloped and the story unfinished.

The first half of the novel is spent on set-up, character development, and backstory. Evie seemed to just float along through this section, lost amidst her secretive family members. Maybe I would be doing the same thing if I found out that I was a shapeshifter. Who knows? But I, as a reader, felt adrift as well. I wanted to grab Evie’s story arc, but only found historical tidbits of the Ludlow family. This history was truly fascinating. I wanted to know more about the family’s past as guardians and learn how it affects Evie’s present.

After spending so much time with the characters in the first half, I didn’t feel like I truly knew them until the second half of SILVER-WHITE. The action kicked in full speed and the characters were forced to make decisions. It's as if each character was dropped under a magnifying lens, allowing me to see them clearly and finally discover the story arc.

I was fully captivated with the story, and then . . . it just ended. Evie was left with multiple threats closing in on her and there was no real resolution to anything that happened in the novel. SILVER-WHITE feels like the first third or half of a story, rather than a full-length, stand-alone novel.

Despite my frustrations with SILVER-WHITE, I’m endlessly curious about what happens to Evie next. I will be pondering her fate until the sequel lights up my eReader. And isn’t that the true test of a good story? That it keeps its reader engaged and wanting more? I think so.

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next

Why? Richelle Mead! Why?! Why on earth do you leave us hanging like that! I now have to wait until November to see what happens next. It’s so unfair!

So just in case you can’t tell from the first part of the review the ending of THE INDIGO SPELL is amazing but sooo frustrating. This book as if there was any doubt is well worth reading. There is more Sydney and Adrian which equals Sydrian!!

Jill, Eddie, Angeline and the rest of the Palm Springs gang are not as much in this book but what they do contribute is completely important, as is Marcus Finch. Let’s just say there is talk of fleeing to Mexico. (Intrigued yet?)

Sydney finally opens her eyes and begins to see herself and think for herself which if you are a loyal fan of these books I don’t have to tell you is huge. The best part of finding herself is when she realizes she has womanly wiles she can work to her advantage. The relationship between her and Adrian begins to develop and it totally pulls the reader in.

As always Mead knows how to give the reader some lighthearted moments which seriously had me laughing…unfortunately I was trying to sneak read this at work the day it came out so I was left looking a little odd. One of the best parts was the introduction to the old and prestigious fraternity of Alpha Yam Ergo (if you don’t get that reference please read the book). That scene followed by some intense T-shirt painting was well worth the sneaking around to read it.

Really guys get up and run to a bookstore, or get online and buy it because you will not regret it. I of course look forward to the next book in the series THE FIERY HEART which releases November 13, 2013 and is told from the point of view of not only Sydney but Adrian too!! I just know it will be completely awesome.

22 February 2013

I am so happy to be participating in the IMMORTAL CIRCUS Tour – mostly because I am so stinking proud of my friend and fellow YA Rebel, Alex (AR) Kahler and his debut novel!

And I have something you are all dying to see

THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS BOOK TRIALER!

THE BOOK

THE IMMORTAL CIRCUSAuthor: AR Kahler Pages: 236 Publisher: 47North

Murdered contortionists aren’t exactly what Vivienne signed up for when she ran away to join the circus. But like most things under the big top, nothing is what it seems. With a past she can't quite remember, Vivienne finds that running away forever might not be as appealing as it once sounded—especially not when she realizes the devilishly attractive ringleader Mab is the Faerie Queen of legend…and that she and the rest of the troupe are locked in an age-old rivalry between the otherworldly Courts. Aided by her friends Kingston—a feisty stage magician whose magic is quickly stealing her heart—and his smart-ass assistant Melody, Vivienne finds herself racing against the clock to discover the culprit behind a series of deaths that should be impossible. However, the answer she seeks might reveal more about her own bloody past—and future—than she bargains for. The show's just beginning. Step right up…

THE GIVEAWAY

The giveaway will end on February 28th.

There is ONE signed book + prize pack (US) - it can be personalized.

There is ONE signed book + bookplate (US) - either the book or bookplate can be signed. Or both. And it can be personalized.

There are FIVE Kindle eBook copies (International). As long as the country has publication rights they should be able to accept the Kindle gift.

Alex didn’t just dream it: he did it. But then, he rarely lets a good dream pass him by.

In the past six years he’s toured and trained across America and Europe. He’s performed in Amsterdam, taught trapeze in Madrid, studied in Glasgow and even had a stint as assistant to Holly Black and Cassandra Clare in New England. He’s constantly on the lookout for new places to explore and new worlds to invent. He’s a Sagittarius fueled by full moons and espresso. The way to his heart is a latte and fan art. Just for the record.

THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS is his first New Adult novel, and is being released exclusively through the Amazon Kindle e-Serials program by 47North. It will be available in print and audio when the episodes are complete.

MARTYR the first book in his post-apocalyptic fantasy, will be published by Spencer Hill Press in October 2014.